Football
Buckeyes Run over Walsh 86-48 in Exhibition Game
By Brandon CastelCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Two years ago the Ohio State men’s basketball team lost its final exhibition game 70-68 to Findlay just prior to the start of the 2007-08 season.
It proved to be an omen of things to come, as the Buckeyes would miss the NCAA Tournament for just the second time under Head Coach Thad Matta (they were ineligible for post-season play during Matta’s first season in Columbus).
Evan Turner and Jon Diebler were only freshmen on that team (to make it clear how long ago that was, Eric Wallace outscored Turner that night), but they remember what it was like in the locker room after the game.
“I remember coach went nuts. He got so mad I think he fell in the locker room because he tried to kick a chair. He kicked the chair and hit the ground,” said Turner, who is now in his third season in Columbus.
There would be no chair-kicking for Matta Wednesday night, however, as the Buckeyes ran roughshod over Walsh University 86-48 in their lone tune-up before the start of the 2009-10 season, Matta’s sixth in Columbus.
“I think me and Jon have been through enough battles to kind of be comfortable by now,” said Turner, who led the Buckeyes with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
“I think we executed well. Sometimes we forgot to screen a little bit and we could have been more aggressive. We could have been a little bit tighter, but overall I thought we did pretty well.”
Unlike either of Matta’s past two teams at Ohio State, this group has a veteran feel to it. The Buckeyes return every player from last year’s NCAA Tournament team with the exception of 7-foot freshman B.J. Mullens.
Even without Mullens – now in the NBA – and Dallas Lauderdale, who started 31 of the 33 games at center last season but missed the exhibition game with a broken hand, the Buckeyes still outscored the Cavs 42-8 in the paint while shooting nearly 63 percent from the field.
With Lauderdale out, senior Kyle Madsen got the start at center, but it was overshadowed by the return of captain David Lighty and the Value City Arena debut of 7-foot UAB transfer Zisis Sarikopoulos.
“It feels great. I’ve been so impatient. Last year was one of my hardest years not to be able to play, but it was totally worth it,” said the Greek native.
“It was great to go out there and see how much I’ve improved from going against B.J. and Dallas and Kyle last year.”
While the rest of the roster remains intact, it hardly looked like same team that took the court against Siena in March.
“We all switched position this year,” said Turner, who moved from playing the wing last year to primarily running the point this season.
“Jeremie Simmons switched positions, David Lighty is mainly the four now, we’ve got Zisis in there. Will (Buford)’s coming back for his second year and we’re just trying to get our teammates comfortable.”
It was Buford who got things going with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first half, as the Buckeyes got out to a 29-9 lead with 9:20 to play in the half. The sophomore finished with 15 points in 19 minutes, but it was his play at the other end of the court that caught the attention of his coach tonight.
“The thing I was most pleased with William was his defense in the second half,” Matta said.
“I told him when he was done tonight that as a freshman last year he would lose interest in a game like that. You could see him kind of gritting his teeth and getting in his stance, and that’s huge for us because offensively I thought he was very efficient and did a nice job there.”
When it came to efficiency, however, there was no one better than Turner in this game. Playing mostly point, but also some forward when he and P.J. Hill were on the court together, Turner scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting while grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out six assists in 24 minutes.
“I thought he had a tremendous game all around,” Matta said.
“I thought one of the biggest differences is that he’s playing with more patience, seeing things and really looking to get guys involved; which was exciting to see because he realizes the more he gives the more it’s going to come back to him.”
It was only an exhibition game, but Diebler believes Turner is capable of putting up similar numbers, or even better ones, on any given night.
“I think he will (get a triple-double),” he said.
“The guy had 14 rebounds tonight from the point guard spot. He has a knack for the ball and he so aggressive that not only does he get himself shots, but he gets us shots and obviously if we’re knocking them down that’s going to get his assists up. Just tonight, when he got to the paint, he got there at will and that shows the work he put in in the offseason.”
The biggest number in Turner’s mind, however, was one, as in the total number of turnovers he committed in his first game playing point guard.
“In the past I had the hardest time taking care of the ball, but tonight I had a pretty good time taking care of the ball and my teammates did a good job hitting shots. I just looked up and made sure I didn’t pass it to the other team. You all know that in past years it was 50-50 but I’m just trying to make sure my teammate gets it for an easy run out.”
As a result, five Buckeyes scored in double figures, with six more players scoring at least two points. The OSU bench outscored Walsh’s bench 31-10 in a game where the Cavs shot just 29 percent from the field and 28 percent from behind the arc.
The Buckeyes will test themselves for real Monday night when they face Alcorn State (7 p.m., Big Ten Network) in the regular-season opener. It’s even possible the Buckeyes could have Lauderdale back for the game, according to Matta.
“Everything looked good on the X-ray. He’s been doing more and more defensively with us the last couple days and I’m hoping by Friday we can get him back in the mix. I don’t know for sure he’ll be ready to go by Monday night. He thinks he is, I think he is, but we’re not MDs.”
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